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THE SECRET WORLD ISSUE #1, JULY 2012: “UNLEASHED”

"UNLEASHED"

'Unleashed' kicks off a monthly run that brings new content, new features, new stories and new characters to The Secret World and to subscribers. The first issue is packed with missions, Nightmare mode dungeons, the highly anticipated Marketplace and other updates -- and this is just the beginning!
 
 

 
 
NEW MISSIONS!

Carter Unleashed: An action mission set at the Innsmouth Academy on Solomon Island, where the player gets to know more about the exceptionally gifted student Carter. Exploring the hallway below the academy, Carter will need help controlling her powers -- before they get completely out of hand.
Crime and Punishment: Bestselling horror author Sam Krieg came to Solomon Island to write his latest novel -- but there's more to it than that. Through this investigation, the player will dig into Krieg's works and the mind of an obsessed fan to learn more about the dark and hidden history of Solomon Island.
Hell & Bach: Daredevil reporter Daniel Bach is working on the story of all stories, his shot at finally winning a Pulitzer. For years, he's been chasing the ghost of Theodore Wicker, only to end up trapped at the Overlook Motel outside Kingsmouth Town. But Wicker's story doesn't end here -- nor did it start here. Following the bread crumbs back in time, the player will investigate the mystery of Wicker, and learn more about what brought him to the gates of hell...and beyond.
Funeral Crasher: Eleanor Franklin only has her cats and her ghosts to keep her company at her mansion in Blue Mountain -- and now the ghosts are getting restless. When the dead themselves are spooked, the living must pay heed.
The 3rd Age: There have been Ages before ours, and the evidence lies beneath. In Egypt, the sand is thin, and the remnants of past Ages are beginning to spread their influence across the world. The Seven Sentinels hold the key to an investigation that begins in the present, and delves deep into the distant past.
Red Handed: It wasn't chance that brought Dr Varias to this distant part of the Carpathians at this particular point in time. Following in his father's footsteps, Varias is attempting to unravel the mystery of the Red Hand. Why did they build a vast facility beneath this desolate region? What were they doing here? And how was Varias' father involved? In this investigation, we answer some burning questions about this secret Soviet era genetic research project -- and how it ties into the events of the present.
 
But that's not all! Another mission awaits observant players on Solomon Island -- one that explores a character that may be more than she pretends to be...
 
 
NEW NIGHTMARE MODE DUNGEONS!

Two dungeons are receiving new Nightmare modes: The Ankh and Hell Fallen.
 
Increased challenges, increased rewards, and a chance to test new builds, new synergies and to put your team to the test against some of the toughest and fiercest challenges in The Secret World!
 
Who will be the first to conquer The Ankh and Hell Fallen in Nightmare mode? When 'Unleashed' is unleashed, we will find out!
 
 
THE MARKETPLACE!

Unleashed also contains the brand new, cross-dimensional Marketplace, allowing players to sell, trade and ship items to other players, no matter where they're playing. The Marketplace will be an integral part of The Secret World's growing economy, giving players more flexibility when it comes to how they equip their characters, and how they procure PAX.
 
 
AND MORE!

Of course, issue #1 is jam-packed with other updates and changes -- and astute players may even notice the ongoing construction in New York, London and Seoul, as new tenants prepare to move in. The Secret World is a LIVING world, and it will keep growing and changing through this issue and all upcoming, monthly issues.
 
And this is only the beginning. Issue #2 is already on its way, and if you like this month's content, you're going to LOVE what's next! Dr Aldini is sharpening his scalpels, the Ockham triplets are readying their scissors and razors, and the first auxiliary weapon is being assembled -- so stay tuned for August's major update, to be revealed soon!
 
The Secret World issue #1: 'Unleashed' goes live on July 31st, and is available for free to all players.

I'm sure you can find some cynical MMO-hating f13er to argue they deliberately held content back from release to make themselves look good when they added it a month later.  :grin:

I'm sure you can find some cynical MMO-hating f13er to argue they deliberately held content back from release to make themselves look good when they added it a month later.  :grin:

I'm sure you can find some cynical MMO-hating f13er to argue they deliberately held content back from release to make themselves look good when they added it a month later.  :grin:

No content was EVER "held back" from launch to pad future updates. Since the day the game launched, the team has been working really hard to prepare content for issue #1, #2, #3...and even future issues. Hell, a (small) part of the team is currently working on issue #8!

It would have been really stupid of us to purposefully withhold content from the game at launch, since the launch of an MMO is the most critical time in the game's lifespan. We squeezed everything we could into the game before June 29th. The team celebrated, popped the champagne bottle...and went RIGHT back to work in order to meet the crushing and looming issue #1 deadline...which will lead straight into crunch for issue #2 -- rinse and repeat.

I can ASSURE you that NO ONE on this team is "slacking off"! In fact, if anyone deserves some time off, it's these guys -- but we're committed to delivering new issues to you guys on a monthly basis, and we'll work our asses off to do that.

I'm sorry if I sound mad -- I'm not! -- but I do want the team to get the credit they deserve, and I want to disspel ANY and ALL rumours about this content being ready for launch. It wasn't. People are right now working overtime and weekends to make sure it is ready for July 31st.

That is all! Thanks for reading! :-)

The three NPCs in Kingsmouth Academy have some great dialogue. As a group, they're my favourite NPCs in the game.

I love the Mummy in Egypt and the Marya guy who dances a lot. But really I don't think there are any duds among the NPCs who have dialogue.

However what I really want to know is what about new clothes?  ;D

"No running in the halls!"

I wonder if they actually got a Scottish woman to do the voice acting for the... Scottish woman.  It doesn't sound normal, normal to me being an American faking a Scottish accent, so I think it might actually be real.

I know nothing about England and Scotland, but I can tell you this for comparison: if you hired an Italian actor that is not from Rome to play a part with a specific Roman inflection, that would be laughably bad to anyone who is Roman, and quite OK to everyone else. Since she is NOT from Scotland, I am not surprised if Scottish people can tell her accent is not from anywhere in Scotland.

Wherever that accent is from though, I absolutely love it.

On a side, funny note, I just spent the past weekend with two girls from Glasgow. One had what sounded to me like a "quite normal British" accent, while the other one's was so thick and so weird (and so Scottish, they said) that she sounded almost like the parody of a Scottish sailor to my ears, but once again I absolutely loved it. Needless to say, I could grasp about 50% of what she said, sometimes not even that.